Rated: PG

Distributed By:

Directed by:

Starring:

Kristen Bell as Marni; Jamie Lee Curtis as Gail; Sigourney Weaver as Aunt Ramona; Odette Yustman as Joanna; Victor Garber as Mark; James Wolk as Will

Adapted From:

Plugged In Online

You Again?

Every superhero needs a nemesis. They make our tough guys tougher and our heroes more heroic. In high school, J.J. filled the role of Marni's nemesis to near perfection: She was a popular, pretty and insanely wicked girl who enjoyed smashing Marni's self-esteem on the pavement.

Eight years later, Marni has become a beautiful, successful woman. But when she heads home for her older brother's wedding, she is in for a real shock. Marni's brother, Will, is marrying J.J., who now goes by the name Joanna. Joanna was certainly a bully in high school, but after her parents died, she decided to remake herself into someone they could be proud of. Though Marni suspects Joanna of putting up a sham to snag her brother, it's no act. She's changed since high school.

You Again has a great message about reconciling with the past and making peace with the people who have (or you think have) done you wrong. On the down side, there is some immodesty in dress and several references to kissing. The film is full of slapstick comedy, including knocking heads, falling down rope ladders and getting pushed into pools. Various characters tell lies, but most of them are punished in some way.

"You can't control the things that happen to you," Marni tells us as the film begins, "but you can control how you react to them." We might learn a thing or two from this bit of cinema—and laugh as we do so. You Again is not groundbreaking art, but it is surprisingly funny and startlingly sweet.